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There is plenty to do in West Chester and Liberty townships this weekend.

For things to do in Greater Cincinnati, visit Cincinnati.com’s new Things to Do page.

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Saturday

Cool Jazz ‘n’ Hotcakes breakfast – Jazz will be on the menu for the Lakota East High School’s Cool Jazz ‘n’ Hotcakes breakfast. From 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, the school’s Eastside Café will be open to the community for a morning of jazz performances by Lakota junior and senior high school musicians. Listen to five different ensembles while munching on pancakes and sausage cooked by parents and served by teens. Admission is $6 for all the food you can eat.

Karen Moeller Scholarship Fun Run – Two summers ago, the Lakota community lost a loved one when longtime teacher Karen Moeller passed away. Members of the community honored the elementary school teacher by creating the Karen Moeller Scholarship Fun Run/Walk, which will take place for the second consecutive year in May at Voice of America Park. This year’s event will take place Saturday and will begin at 9 a.m. around the lake at VOA Park.

Plant sale and open house at Hughes School – Antique agricultural tractors will be on display at this year’s spring open house at the former Hughes School – a one-room school adjacent to Liberty Elementary School. Sponsored by the Liberty Township Historical Society the open house runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, at the school, 6010 Princeton Road. In conjunction with the open house, the Liberty Township Garden Club will host its annual plant sale in the school’s parking lot.

Fancy Nancy Tea Party – In the community room of the West Chester Library there will be two tea parties this Saturday. The hour-long event, which is called Fancy Nancy Tea Party, will begin at 10:30 a.m. and again at 1:30 p.m. The event is geared to “Fancy Nancys” ages 4-6 and their chaperones. The event includes a storytime, followed by light refreshments. Children are encouraged to dress up. Cameras are welcome. Call the library, 513-777-3131 about registration.

Sunday

Great Amazing Race – Modeled after a popular TV reality show, the contest at Voice of America Park pairs family members on a mile-long course that leads them to a string of challenge stations. Typical challenges range from a piggyback obstacle course to a “mummy wrap,” in which adults robe their youthful partner in toilet paper. The event organizer, Greg Benton, describes it as a family version of the TV show, “The Amazing Race.” The race will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. and costs $40 for a team of two. Visit greatamazingrace.com for more details or to register.

Acoustic Jam session – The community is invited to listen or join in a public acoustic jam session at Keehner Park this Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. According to westchesteroh.org, similar events will be held on the first Sunday of the month at Keehner Park now through September.

Posted in: Events, News, School events |

Tags: Tags: Adena Elementary, Adena Elementary School, basketball, brain cancer, death, funeral, Karen Moeller, Karen Moeller Scholarship Fun Run/Walk, Karen Moeller Scholarship Fund, Lakota East, Lakota East bands, Lakota East High School, Lakota East High School’s Cool Jazz ‘n’ Hotcakes breakfast, Lakota Local Schools, Voice of America Park

Two summers ago, the Lakota community lost a loved one when longtime teacher Karen Moeller passed away.

Members of the community honored the elementary school teacher by creating the Karen Moeller Scholarship Fun Run/Walk, which will take place for the second consecutive year in May at Voice of America Park.

This year’s event will take place Saturday and will begin at 9 a.m. around the lake at VOA Park. The event will benefit the Karen Moeller Scholarship Fund, which awards two scholarships each year to high school students based on academics and contributions to Lakota and to his or her community.

The distance of the run/walk is 1 ¼ miles. Prizes and awards will also be given out.

The cost per participant on the day of the event is $20. Those walk-ups are encouraged to arrive at least 30 minutes before the event begins.

Moeller taught first and second grades at Adena Elementary for 17 years before being transferred to Shawnee Elementary. In November of 2007, Moeller was diagnosed with brain cancer and fought the disease for more than 3 ½ years.

For more information about the event, visit lakotawesthigh.com.

Posted in: Events, News, School events |

Tags: Tags: Adena Elementary, Adena Elementary School, basketball, brain cancer, death, funeral, Karen Moeller, Karen Moeller Scholarship Fun Run/Walk, Karen Moeller Scholarship Fund, Lakota Local Schools, Voice of America Park

The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty is accepting applications until next Monday, April 1 for the Karen Moeller Scholarship, which awards two scholarships each year to high school students based on academics and contributions to Lakota and to his or her community.

Moeller taught first and second grades at Adena Elementary for 17 years before being transferred to Shawnee Elementary. As a teacher, she won the David Thiel Award, which recognizes kind, caring, and giving community members in Lakota.

In November of 2007, Moeller was diagnosed with brain cancer and fought the disease for more than 3 ½ years.

She passed away in June of 2011.

After her death, her family and friends worked to establish a scholarship fund as a tribute to her work in Lakota and her love of furthering the education of local youth.

Applications can be found online at www.wclfoundation.com.

To learn more about The Community Foundation’s scholarship opportunities or how to create a legacy by establishing a new scholarship opportunity, please call Melissa Benedict at 513-874-5450.

Posted in: News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Adena Elementary, Adena Elementary School, basketball, brain cancer, death, funeral, Karen Moeller, Karen Moeller Scholarship Fun Run/Walk, Karen Moeller Scholarship Fund, Lakota Local Schools

Last June, the Lakota community lost a loved one when longtime teacher Karen Moeller passed away.

Just less than a year later, members of the community will honor the elementary school teacher by participating in the Karen Moeller Scholarship Fun Run/Walkat Voice of America Park at 9 a.m. Saturday.

The event will benefit the Karen Moeller Scholarship Fund, which awards two scholarships each year to high school students based on academics and contributions to Lakota and to his or her community.

The distance of the run/walk is 1 ¼ miles. Prizes and awards will also be given out.

The cost per participant on the day of the event is $20. Those walk-ups are encouraged to arrive at least 30 minutes before it begins.

Moeller taught first and second grades at Adena Elementary for 17 years before being transferred to Shawnee Elementary. In November of 2007, Moeller was diagnosed with brain cancer and fought the disease for more than 3 ½ years.

For more information about the event, visit westfirebirds.com.

Posted in: Events, News, School events |

Tags: Tags: Adena Elementary, Adena Elementary School, basketball, brain cancer, death, funeral, Karen Moeller, Karen Moeller Scholarship Fun Run/Walk, Karen Moeller Scholarship Fund, Lakota Local Schools, Voice of America Park

Last June, the Lakota community lost a loved one when longtime teacher Karen Moeller passed away.

Just less than a year later, members of the community will honor the elementary school teacher by participating in the Karen Moeller Scholarship Fun Run/Walk at Voice of America Park at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 26.

The event will benefit the Karen Moeller Scholarship Fund, which awards two scholarships each year to high school students based on academics and contributions to Lakota and to his or her community.

The distance of the run/walk is 1 ¼ miles. Prizes and awards will also be given out.

If participants register before May 18, the cost is $10 for elementary/junior high students, $15 for high school students/adults and $30 for families. The cost per participant on the day of the event is $20. Those walk-ups are encouraged to arrive at least 30 minutes before the event begins.

Moeller taught first and second grades at Adena Elementary for 17 years before being transferred to Shawnee Elementary. In November of 2007, Moeller was diagnosed with brain cancer and fought the disease for more than 3 ½ years.

For more information about the event, visit westfirebirds.com.

Posted in: Events, News, School events |

Tags: Tags: Adena Elementary, Adena Elementary School, basketball, brain cancer, death, funeral, Karen Moeller, Karen Moeller Scholarship Fun Run/Walk, Karen Moeller Scholarship Fund, Lakota Local Schools, Voice of America Park

Karen Moeller, 65, who taught 17 years at Adena Elementary and was also a teacher at Shawnee Early Childhood School, passed away Saturday, June 18, at her Liberty Township home. The career elementary school teacher was diagnosed with brain cancer in November of 2007 and was given a year to 18 months to live.

Cincinnati Enquirer reporter Kimball Perry wrote a story about Moeller’s life, which included how she met her husband.

On the first day of his senior year at Otterbein University, Steve Moeller convinced a gorgeous sophomore to hop in his car for a ride.

He took Karen Fischer out for a sandwich – and was with her through more than 40 years of marriage, two children and a life of hop-scotching across the country as a basketball coach’s family.

Perry’s story also went into the type of marriage the couple would have, their children and Moeller’s caring personality.

“I was drawn to her immediately. She had a great personality, was very funny, very easy going, smart,” said her husband, Steve Moeller.

“It was just a whirlwind romance.”

Two years later, the couple married. A high school football coach at the time, he had to be at practice two days after their Saturday marriage, so he took his bride for an abbreviated honeymoon at Niagara Falls.

“She didn’t care about the sizzle. She didn’t care about anything other than making other people happy,” her husband said. (more…)

Posted in: News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Adena Elementary, Adena Elementary School, basketball, Bob Huggins, brain cancer, death, funeral, Karen Moeller, Lakota Local Schools, Shawnee Early Childhood School, Steve Moeller